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The Two Men in the Silver Mercedes
The midwife attends Leila’s birth and supports Binnaz during and following her labor. When Leila does not cry immediately after delivery and Binnaz begins to worry, the midwife tries various methods to elicit those first crucial tears, which signify her official entry into the world. Believing that Leila’s soul is caught with the otherworldly “angels,” still hesitating between remaining comfortable or venturing into the unknown, the midwife submerges the baby in salt to free her. She urges Leila to cry so that “everyone knows you’re alive.” At Haroun’s instruction, the midwife tosses the umbilical cord onto the schoolhouse roof, a superstition meant to ensure Leila one day becomes a teacher.
The Midwife Quotes in 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World
The 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World quotes below are all either spoken by The Midwife or refer to The Midwife. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
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Part 1, Chapter 1: One Minute Quotes
Her gut said, Oh, I like it here; I’m not going up there again.
Her heart protested, Don’t be silly. Why stay in a place where nothing ever happens? It’s boring.
Why leave a place where nothing ever happens? It’s safe, her gut said.
[...]
Just because you think it’s safe here, it doesn’t mean this is the right place for you, her heart countered. Sometimes where you feel most safe is where you least belong.
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The Midwife Character Timeline in 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World
The timeline below shows where the character The Midwife appears in 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in This Strange World. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Part 1, Chapter 1: One Minute
...healthy when she is born, she does not immediately cry, which worries Binnaz. The experienced midwife douses baby Leila in a bath of salt in an effort to induce her tears,...
(full context)
